Virus: Virus Buster Serge

Virus buster Serge is like an in between for bubblegum crisis and tokyo 2040, in fact there are a ton similarities to 2040. as well has having surreal moments similar to evangelion. So if you enjoyed those you will like this. its set in Neo Hong kong during the 2090's, people carry implants in their brains that allow them to enter the 'NET', but a virus has spawned can infect people and merge them with machines.

the story is interesting, its told in a abstract and indirect fashion and doesn't hold your hand, you have to piece it together yourself. i think i managed to piece ... it together, though it does leave some unexplained things.

the art style is great, sharp angles and exaggerate features make it unique, after all anime is the last medium in the world which people should argue about realistic character proportions. the animation is somewhat limited but the choreography is great. the surrealistic moments are also where the art shines, when the characters have cryptic flashbacks, or have to go into the NET(sorta like the matrix) and face physical incarnations of the virus. these often take place in distorted landscapes which contrast against the setting outside the NET. another way these scenes contrast is the coloring, one sequence has a landscape completely in white, black and red, and my favorite one has warm and hazy glow over everything, when one of the characters is somewhere nostalgic.

The soundtrack is very good, and well handled. it is a mix of rock and techno with some jazz. its more ambient tracks are especially good. its used well here, the music fits the scenes and the scenes are timed to fit the music. though one part i didnt like, was when a important fight at the end began with some very emotional music, i thought it would continue but they just used some of the normal music from other fights. my favourite is this https://youtu.be/dc5WVCcOSjU?t=2971

this should probably have been a 24 episode show, as the characters, outside of the main character serge do not get time to be fully developed. though they are well designed(this show has a lot of fanservice for both men and women) and have strong personalities, that makes up for it for me, but that could put off a lot of people.

though one thing, i wish that the NET was a much bigger part of the setting, its a very interesting concept, a place where everyone in the world can connect to each other to work or play, from anywhere. but it does not show its inner workings, and when we do see it, the characters are entering their own personal realm where its just them and the virus. from what i hear the NET is a much bigger part of the story in the sega genesis game, i will need to get it someday(but it is untranslated).

the dub is pretty funny at times, but serge's voice actor great at playing Milan, also brain lizard was really good too.

Edit: also i found out that this anime was not based on a game. they were both made at the same time, and based on the same concept. the producers wanted two groups to make something based on the same idea but get two very different things out of it. if anything the anime technically comes first, as obari first created serge and erika, and they were redesigned to be used in the game.

Virus Buster Serge marked the debut of Masami Obari as a director and writer for a television series, prior to this his directorial work consisted of several mecha and fighting OVAs whilst he had never been credited as a writer on these projects.

These details are important to consider when watching Virus, as it is clearly the work of an auteur in an unknown medium... and it shows.

Obari's weakness and inexperience as a writer are on full display; after the first three episodes the viewer gets the impression that there was no story planned out since the following nine episodes seem to meander with very little ... relation to the plot. It's almost as if Obari made no attempt to tell a compelling story, instead relying upon the belief that plot points could be hinted at but these are never fully developed.

Characters in this show are no better. There are no distinct personalities among any of the principal cast; they simply exist in a space, recite typically banal dialogue, and make inexplicable choices which make no sense in the context of the so-called "plot". Artistically, the characters are bland in their design (perfectly capturing their distinct lack of personality) with males sporting angular faces and chiselled abs, whilst the females possess oversized breasts and eyes - none of these characters are unique in their design. The mech design is only slightly better, but the action sequences lack excitement and are quite boring, relying on an unchanged formula for the duration of the series. Given Obari's history with the genre, this is a significant flaw.

If there is anything positive to say about the show it has to be that the sound is generally good. The English dub isn't brilliant, but there are some decent performances and the music, whilst not memorable, is passable. There is an attempt at creating images that stand out, but as a whole the show just fails to work.

Even bad anime can be embraced by fans and by the masses, even if such admiration is ironic, but Virus commits the biggest sin of any piece of entertainment: it fails to entertain.